Saturday 7th April 2012

San Pedro del Pinatar salinas

Weather: Sky 1/8 cloud, wind SW F1, temp. 15ºC.  09:40 – 12:30.  With Mick Brewer.

For a change of scene, we went to the Salinas at San Pedro del Pinatar (north end of the Mar Menor).  I was hoping to see some of the specialities such as Gull Billed Tern and Little Tern, but without success.  We did however see 5 Ruff and 3 Spotted Redshank coming into breeding plumage, a single Curlew Sandpiper which was my first of the year, and a smart adult Mediterranean Gull fly over.  I also saw a male Litte Bittern fly over a reed bed, but Mick couldn’t get onto it in time.  We spent some time in the hope it might fly out again, but without success.

 One of half a dozen or so Sand Martins

Species seen

Black-necked Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis)

Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)

Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)

Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus)

Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)

Black Winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)

Stone Curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus)

Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta)

Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius)

Sanderling (Calidris alba)

Little Stint (Calidris minuta)

Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea)

Ruff (Philomachus pugnax)

Turnstone (Arenaria interpres)

Spotted Redshank (Tringa erythropus)

Redshank (Tringa tetanus)

Greenshank (Tringa nebularia)

Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)

Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)

Mediterranean Gull (Larus melanocephalus)

Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus)

Slender-billed Gull (Larus genei)

Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis)

Crested Lark (Galerida cristata)

‘flava’ Wagtail (Motacilla flava)

Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe)

Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus)

Sardinian Warbler (Sylvia melanocephala)

Chiffchaff/Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus collybita/trochilus)

Black-necked Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis)

Red-rumped Swallow (Hirundo daurica)

Swallow (Hirundo rustica)

Serin (Serinus serinus)

Stonechat (Saxicola torquatus)

Rambla de Albujon

Weather: Sky 2/8 cloud, wind SW F3, temp. 17ºC.  13:00 – 14:00.  With Mick Brewer.

On the way back from San Pedro we called in at the rambla, where in spite of the wind, there were at least 3 Great Reed Warblers singing.  We also struck lucky with the Spotted Crake, and also had both Common and Jack Snipe, Little Ringed Plover and Water Pipit.

Species seen

Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)

Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)

Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago)

Jack Snipe (Lymnocryptes minimus)

Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius)

Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)

Spotted Crake (Porzana porzana)

Swallow (Hirundo rustica)

Water Pipit (Anthus spinoletta)

Great Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus)